Rochester: Pick Your Own Flag

A group that has been working on a new design to replace the one adopted by the city in 1980 made a pitch to the City Council Monday to support its recommendation. But the council punted, leaving the group to promote its design without an official city endorsement. And group members at the meeting indicated they will.

One of them is Lee Herald, owner of a local flag store who is expected to begin stocking the new flag.

The design presented to the council was favored by a judges board that was selected to pick a winner. It is called “Past, Present and Future” and was designed by Matt Levar of Rochester, NY.

The city council was split on its feelings over a new flag.

Members Hickey and Hruska favored the current flag, members Campion and Wojcik supported the new design and the other three indicated they wanted to hear from the public before making a decision.

In the end, the council took no action but the group was encouraged by some members to begin selling the new design.

Here is a summary of the design:

Designer statement: This is a modern adaption of Rochester’s current flag, with the overt visuals replaced with meaningful symbols of the city’s Past, Present, and Future. Here, a gold ring encompasses the city, symbolizing the community’s unity and values. Inside, three stars, one for the city’s founding (lower left), one for the great tornado and the medical community that came from it (lower right), and the highest one for the city’s future. The stars shine in a night sky over the city’s South Fork Zumbro and Bear Creek Rivers.